In my reflections on Thanksgiving Day in 2015 my mind kept returning to the awe of life itself. Thanksgiving, of course, is an American national holiday with a particular history that offer each American the chance to express gratitude for various aspects of our good fortune.

Typically and this year perhaps in particular people express their thanks for their safety and their security in their homes with family. Gratitude for the continued bounty of what we enjoy in our lives, especially compared to a world where there is much violence, scarcity and deprivation.

The Actual Dance, is a story about confronting the end of life. As I continue retelling that story and as I work to be authentic and present in my heart during the presentation, it seems that my own awe of life increases. I am reminded of an idea expressed best by Jewish philosopher Abraham Joshua Heschel in his book, “God In Search of Man”

“Our goal should be to live life in radical amazement. ....get up in the morning and look at the world in a way that takes nothing for granted. Everything is phenomenal; everything is incredible; never treat life casually. To be spiritual is to be amazed.”

For me, The Actual Dance is a form of celebration of that amazement. What more logical time is there to be in Amazement of life itself than when facing the end of life? I am often asked “how do (you) do it?” by people seeming to sense heartbreak and sadness. While I have various answers to that question, my reflections this week in Thanksgiving 2015 are leading me to a different response, it is because every time I perform The Actual Dance I am reminded of how amazing life itself is, how amazing it is that simply we exist. The end, when it comes to you and me and to those we love, is simply an exclamation point on how radical our life is and that we were blessed with whatever time we will have had.